Contributors

Friday, 20 February 2009

Due to the global downturn, luxury brands can no longer afford to scare customers away. Gone are the days when sales assistants at exclusive designer boutiques wouldn’t even give ‘less desirable’ customers the time of day. Now, most brands are bending over backwards to sell anything to anyone.

An entertaining Wall Street Journal article, Polite Is The New Snobby, suggested high-end retailers have definitely changed their tune. They interviewed a sales clerk at a London Miu Miu boutique who was encouraged by her manager “to make everyone feel welcome no matter who they are, even if they clearly looked like someone who couldn’t afford to buy anything.”

Personally we love the new and improved service. Luxury brands should always welcome customers with open arms – even the obvious window shoppers – because everyone deserves a bit of luxury in their lives. And plus, you never know whether that lady in her old tracksuit (or sweatsuit as they say in the USA) is a billionaire in disguise!

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Who's behind the MO DOWN

Melinda O’Rourke is the founder and Director of MO Luxury, a dynamic, Sydney-based management firm specialising in luxury brands and services. Melinda and her associates at MO work with local and international brands across prestige retail, fashion, fine jewellery, timepieces and specialised services. Melinda is well-connected, well-read, and well-versed in the demands of the luxury market and its client base. Her advice is firmly based in objectivity and ultimately, accountability. Melinda offers constructive counsel and both strategic and creative thinking and is able to draw upon a strong network of specialised talent to compliment the MO Luxury team as needed. Melinda enjoys excellent industry relationships and is regularly quoted in the business and fashion media. Read more about MO Luxury, www.moluxury.com.au